“What’s that supposed to mean?” she quipped once more. “Are you threatening me… again?”

He smiled at her, hoping she could sense how hazardous her situation was at this moment. Dalton wasn’t usually the kind of man who would force himself on anyone. He loved his kink, but he only practiced it in consensual unions. Dalton wasn’t his brother— he had never taken anyone without consent, and he never would. Connor and he shared many proclivities, but his little brother had always had a darker edge than he. Delilah however, was pushing all of his buttons; one after the other, as though she were waiting for him—begging him—to respond with a show of dominance.

“I’m not threatening you,” Dalton assured her. “I’m promising you. If you don’t curb your tone, and apologize to me right away, I’m not only going to give you a lesson in bondage, but also one in respect.”

Delilah’s nostrils flared at the sound of his words. “You wouldn’t fucking dare,” she replied in almost a snarl. “I don’t know who you are, Dalton Reilly, but you can’t do a damn thing to me.”

Dalton took a deep breath, steadying himself. “You’re wrong, Delilah,” he told her softly. “You came to me, looking for answers, and then—in the sanctuary of my own office—you try and charge me. That is not acceptable defences.”

“Says you,” she countered, dryly.

“Right.” Dalton confirmed. “It’s my rules, in my office in the building I help run, but you knew all of that before you brought your pretty little arse over here. Didn’t you, Delilah?”

She bit her lip, the color in her cheeks growing stronger. “You think it’s pretty?”

Her tone was laced with sarcasm, and the sound furled the tension in Dalton’s groin. He couldn’t wait to haul the aforementioned arse straight over his lap and tan it with his palm.

“You know I do,” he murmured. “You’re a smart girl, Delle. I know you can sense what’s happening between us.”

“You’re damn right I am,” he replied, tugging her body forward with the ropes at her wrists. “It’s about time you learned what happens when you defy me.”

Dalton pulled harder, sending Delilah’s body lurching toward him. Her eyes were as wide as saucers as she stumbled, her concern obvious, yet still there was only a barrage of abuse form her mouth.

“Get off me!” she barked. “You have no right to manhandle me this way. I didn’t consent to this.”

He sighed. Technically, Delilah was correct—she hadn’t signed up for a spanking, but that was just tough, because a spanking was exactly what she was going to get. Dalton intended to leave her backside stinging, so that every time she sat down for the rest of the day, Delilah would think of him.

“You wanted to know more about BDSM, Delle.” She landed against his lap, her bound hands grasping at his knees as her shocked face rose to meet his statement. Dalton smiled. “And you asked for a practical demonstration of my bondage skills. Now, you’re just going to get a little bit more than you bargained for, that’s all.”

Dalton lifted her arms, taking Delilah’s weight as he raised her back to her feet. The expression on her face was absolutely priceless, and now both her mind and her lips were stunned into silence.

“Get over here,” he instructed, drawing the bewildered redhead around to his right side by her bound wrists.

Delilah gasped, but her feet were moving, and a moment later she stood trembling beside him.

“Can I assume you’ve never been spanked before?” Dalton knew his tone was mocking, but somehow, he couldn’t help himself.

Exerting himself over Delilah like this was absolutely exhilarating. Yes, he’d dominated plenty of women before and he’d enjoyed virtually every encounter, but not like this. This was something else—the energy in the room was palpable—and so far, he’d only bound Delilah and threatened her with a spanking. Dalton’s mind was filled with possibilities, his imagination considering each one as he tugged at the black ropes again.

“Delilah?”

“No,” she rasped. “No, I haven’t.”

Her body was still, and dare he say, compliant, but those sky-blue eyes were ablaze with indignation.

“Since you’re being punished for the way you behaved, Delilah, I’d like you to call me sir, or Mr. Reilly, if you prefer.”

Dalton jerked her wrists forward. Not enough for Delilah to lose balance, but enough to make her yelp in panic as she struggled to stay on her feet. “Will you just do as you’re told?”

She turned to him, and now the venom in her gaze was obvious. “Yes, Mr. Reilly,” she hissed.

Dalton sighed again. It seemed everything was going to be a battle with Delilah, but that was okay. He was too damn excited at the prospect of spanking her to much care, and anyway, hadn’t she ceded in the end, giving him what he sought once he had pressed the point?

Their gazes locked, the intensity blazing between them almost as powerfully as the blush burgeoning at her face. “I’d love to say I’ll go easy on you, Delilah,” he told her. “But I’m not a liar.”

Delilah sucked the air in between her teeth. “Wait!” she almost screeched. “You can’t do this. You can’t—”

He’d heard enough, and yanking hard, he sent Delilah crashing down over his thighs. She crumpled over him unceremoniously, seemingly temporarily stunned that he’d had the audacity to haul her down across his lap.

How the fuck? Her startled thoughts curled Dalton’s lips, though of course, now Delilah couldn’t see the gesture. How dare he? How dare he do this?

Her feet kicked out against the plush carpet of his office, her stiletto heels lost as she still screamed in protest. Dalton steadied her, ensuring her bound arms were okay before his attention turned back to her fabulous arse. He ran one palm down over the back of her pencil skirt.

Delilah panted, twisting her head to look at him. “You can’t do this!”

Her cheeks were flustered now, her eyes watery as though she was on the brink of tears. Evidently, Delilah had not found herself in this position before, and it was clear that was the one point she had told the truth about.

The tension in her muscles seemed to peak at his request, and her legs came crashing back against the carpet again. “Fuck that!” The fury was back in her voice as well. “I am not going to let you do this.”

Dalton shook his head. He didn’t know much about the little firecracker across his lap, but he’d already garnered enough to acknowledge nothing could ever be easy with her.